Through music, dance, theatre, cinema, literature, visual arts, food and crafts, Tirgan Festival highlights the richness of the contemporary and traditional art and culture of Iran. Most events FREE.
Visit the Tirgan Festival website for complete festival details.
Curatorial Statement
Millions of years ago when our ancestors stood on the edge of a diminishing, threatened habitat and looked into the vast terrain that became Africa, the first sparks of "hope" were ignited in humanity. It was hope that reinforced our courage to embrace change, move forward and overcome danger. One may argue that even before tool making and the invention of fire and language, hope is what gave humanity an edge to survive and thrive in circumstances which ninety-eight percent of everything living succumbs to extinction.
Modern civilization was nurtured by hope in the power of humankind to affect humanity. It was hope that elevated us to the peaks of our individual and collective accomplishments and it was hope that fueled our perseverance to overcome the natural and self-inflicted devastations that plagued us throughout history. Hope is an integral ingredient of being human.
Tirgan 2013 is dedicated to "hope." A festival of hope with which we celebrate the art and culture that keeps us hopeful in the power of humanity to persevere, overcome and survive. Throughout history, Iranians have had their share of natural and self-inflicted devastations, yet there is no more powerful indication of our hopefulness than our artistic and cultural heritage. Pluralism, diversity and the ability to embrace change is engrained in the Iranian psyche from the beginning of civilization. These foundational traits are most evidently crystallized in Iranian contemporary arts.
Just like our ancestors at the beginning of time, and throughout history during the peaks and valleys of civilization, Iranian artists have stood at the edge of threatened habitats and reached for the future with hope. Hope that the power of art and culture can shatter the thin but persistent layer of discrimination, injustice and brutality and expose the glowing core of beauty.
Iranian women have contributed equally, yet without equal opportunity, to the cultural mosaic that defined our identity. Iranian contemporary arts are shaped, in part, by members of our society whose voices are often unheard, whose image was taboo and whose legal standing was half of their male counterparts. Hope is nowhere more tangible than in the artistic landscape of a terrain called Iran. A landscape in which monuments of artistic and cultural accomplishment were also erected by women who shattered the immense burden imposed upon them by the man-made devastations that could only be overcome by hope.
Tirgan 2013 celebrates this hope by showcasing the best of what defines us as human beings who happen to be born in a certain terrain, which was reached by our hopeful ancestors who found the courage to defy extinction and reach for the future.
Babak Payami, Artistic Director
Acknowledgements
Harbourfront Centre Staff
William J.S. Boyle
Chief Executive Officer
Melanie Fernandez
Director, Community and Educational Programmes
Rodrigo Fritz
Project Coordinator
Diana Webley
Project Coordinator
Elizabeth Lubowitz
Head of Administration
Candace Shaw
Lead Artistic Associate
Georgia Barrington
Administrative Coordinator
Natalie Buckley
Administrative Assistant, Events
Ayesha Chatterjee
Administrative Assistant
Andrea Strachan
Event Production Manager
Kim Trollope
Technical Director
Scott Seetoo
Production Coordinator
Genevieve Peng
Volunteer Coordinator
Dorothy Szczurek
Assistant Volunteer Coordinator
Suzanne Wyman
Vendor Coordinator
Margaret Saliba
Vendor Assistant
TIRGAN STAFF
Mehrdad Ariannejad
Chief Executive Officer
Babak Payami
Artistic Program Director
Nima Ahmadi
Marketing and Sales Director
Arian Shojai
Operations Director
Behrouz Amouzgar
Public Relations Director
Aida Azarakhsh
Social Networks Coordinator
Ali Ehsassi
Tirgan Magazine Editor-in-Chief
Ali Nakhaei-Zadeh
Vendor Manager
Ali Toufighi
Guests & Dignitaries Coordinator
Arash Bina
IOS Programmer
Arezoo Araie
Sales Manager, Artistic Program Coordination
Arezoo Ossareh
Affiliates Coordinator
Arian Behshad
Artistic Program Coordinator + Information Booth Coordinator
Arsalan Alizadeh
Production Coordinator
Atefeh Zolghadr
Graphic Designer
Ava Naghavi
E-Newsletter Coordinator
Azadeh Ossareh
Liaison Coordinator
Azita Tayyeba
Client Services Manager
Behnaz Nikpour
Event Manager
Behzad Farzi
Zone Leaders Coordinator
Damoun Badiei
Venue Management
Delshad Emami
Weblog Coordinator
Ehsan Taghavi
Proofreading Coordinator
Ehsan Zaeem
Event Ticketing Manager
Fardad Kazemi
Video Production Coordinator
Honya Kordnejad
Community Outreach Coordinator
Hamoon Hayati
Information System Manager
Hosseinali Dadfar
Accounting Manager
Hoursheed Zare
Editorials & Translation Manager
Kimia Davodi
Media Sponsorship Coordinator
Mahsa Pezeshki
Guest Reception Manager
Mahyar Soeizi
Production Coordinator
Maral Parviznia
Guest Services Coordinator
Maryam Eskandari
Artistic Program Coordinator + Grant Manager
Matin Soeizi
Public Assistant Coordinator
Mercedeh Mohaghegh
Translation Coordinator
Mohsen Dezyanian
Media Relations Manager
Nasim Rad
Artistic Administration Manager
Nasrin Khatam
Logistics Manager
Nastaran Dadashi
Writing Coordinator
Niloufar Momeni
Internal Communication Coordination
Noushin Pirayeh
Volunteer Coordinator
Parinaz Lak
Marketing & Sales Administrator
Parisa Lak
Fundrasing Manager
Pendar Yousefi
Lead Graphic Designer
Saman Kashani
Marketing Manager
Sara Dezfouli
Administration Manager
Sara Khajeh
Site Operation Manager
Saviz Arzandeh
Public Affairs Manager
Shaghayegh Mobed
Operations Assistant
Shaghayegh Oghbaei
Media Coverage Coordinator
Shahram Maafi
Advertisement/Print Manager
Shahrzad Shahriari
Program Coordination
Shirin Motebaherinejad
Graphic Designer
Sohrab Pezeshki
Transportation Coordinator
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